Ensnared
by Psycho Yuffie
Summary: An alternate look at the life of Rapuzel, if the tower was a prison of her own fears, anxiety and her struggles to overcome them. WARNING: Contains transgender themes.
1. Chapter 1

Each day begins the same, staring out at the endless expanse of green, forest, meadow, and adventure, not giving it a second thought. It was not always that way. When I was younger, I used to run and play and nothing would weigh me down, but that all changed when she appeared. A horrible monstrosity of bitter thoughts and dark ambitions to seal me away forever.

A vacant look dominates my face as I sit, looking out at the colorless sea of grey before me. Locked within this tower, I cannot see the world for what it really is, I only see gloom and despair—just the way _she_ wants me to see it.

It happened quickly, so quickly that I just nearly missed it. Since it was new, my eyes shot directly to it: a splash of dull color. What could that possibly be? The corners of my mouth twitch ever so slightly, for a second allowing a hint of hope to flicker faintly within the stillness of my heart.

It was cut short, however, with the shrill of her voice, "Rapunzel! What are you doing there, you stupid boy? More dreams of being something you're not?" She chuckled as she glided over to my chair and draped an arm across my shoulders. "Don't you realize how silly it is? You were born a specific way and no one can change that. No one out there understands you." Slithering her way to face me, gazing into my vacant eyes, she mewed, "I'm not the only who understands what you are. If anyone else finds out, they will reject you and hate you. At least here, you're safe."

I gripped my hands into tight fists, as I dully gazed back at her, but then relaxed. "Yes, you're right. I'm hopeless and only have this place. No one understands me. No one can understand."

Nodding, she stood, towering over me. "That's right. I know what's best for you. Here, you're content. You don't have to suffer, cry, or be alone. You don't have to feel anything at all."

Again, it was faint, but definitely there. I saw a sudden surge of color just on the edge of what appeared to be a forest. It was brief, only for a split second, before the it was absorbed by the murky world that surrounded the tower. Curiously, I tilt my head and a single strand of radiant blonde hair shone in my dark, short hair.

As if sensing danger, the shadowy woman grew rigid and then hissed as she caressed my shoulder, "That's enough of the window for today! Let's go read a book or something, shall we?" The single long, blonde strand of hair shrank away at her touch.

Obediently, I stood and allowed her to lead me into the windowless study. The woman shot a cautious look back to the window, but saw nothing but the usual cool grey outside. Satisfied, she followed after me.

Books were a common escape for me. It allowed me to escape this world and pretend that I was in another one. I especially liked books about princesses and when I was younger. I used to pretend that I was one—before I was locked away in this place. They were just fun stories then, but now they symbolized something far greater. Fantasy was all I had left. It was the one place where she could not penetrate, at least that was I liked to believe. The truth was that she was present all the time, making sure that I do not put one toe out of line—but why?

Caught off guard by the question, I snapped back to reality with a jolt—shocking the dark woman standing idly nearby. There was a sudden pulse that wracked the tower, as my eyes suddenly filled with rage, burning through my body. A few strands of long, blonde emerging within my short mane as I yell, "Why? Why do I have to hide?"

Surprised by the outburst, this was something that she had never experienced with me before. Recovering quickly, she reached out with an icy hand and clenched my shoulder, the gold within my hair began to fade instantly, as well as the fire in my eyes. She gave a smile and said, "You know why, dear. They will not understand. You're different than they are and you will always be different. Just look at you."

Gesturing to me in a mirror, I looked to see a young man with short brown hair and dark eyes staring back at me. He was dressed in typical casual wear: a long, pink tunic—it resembled a short dress—a red belt with a silver buckle, and a white undershirt. Granted, the colors were a bit unorthodox. Turning away, I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes tightly. This was all wrong. I knew it was. That was not me—it couldn't be!

Once again, raged was fueled within me and I begun to punch at scratch at my eyes, angry with my body. Why was I born this way? It wasn't fair! Why couldn't I have been born an ordinary girl—or at least an ordinary boy? I looked down at my pink forearms that very well may bruise later as I felt hot liquid staining my cheeks with desperation.

Crumpling to the floor, I gasped, "Make it stop… Please… Make it stop. I can't handle it."

The wicked woman gave a triumphant smirk and said, "Oh, but I thought you knew better than me. I thought you wanted to know why."

I weakly reached up toward her. "No, I was wrong. You're right. It's better to feel nothing than this pain."

She snaked her way around me, cradling my form in her arms, filling me with hollow kisses. "As long as you understand. That was only a taste of your frustration and anguish. If you feel that way about yourself, think about how others feel about you. It's better just to ignore everything and live here. You can't get hurt, by others or yourself."

A faint hazel color in my eyes faded into a sullen brown, as I felt the feeling wash away, leaving an empty but content husk behind. Blinking, I sat up, as if confused as how I got where I was and then stood to go back to my reading.

The dark lady cast another look to the window, where she stole a glimmer of shimmering color. Glowering, she mumbled to herself, "Something is coming. Whatever it is, it's making _him_ stronger. I don't like this."

She did not make an effort to hide what she was saying to me. I was too dumb with numbness to really care; however, every time she referred to me that way, I felt a distinct pang of pain, frustration, and anger. Even like this, I hated being referred to that way. The wicked lady knew that, of course, but she said things like that to spite me. She knew I needed her. Did I? Of course, I could not survive without her. The world would not except me for who I really am, I need her to hide myself from the world. It was complicated. I hated her, despised her, but she still gave me everything I needed to have a stable life.

* * *

Later that night, I was once again wide awake. It was at this time that she seemed to be at her weakest and that was why I found it difficult to sleep. I slid out of bed and crept past her bedroom to the large window. My eyes widened as they met with the rich, velvety dark sky, twinkling stars shining with a full, bright moon. The shades of grey had been replaced with a rich world of somewhat dull color, accented with the beauty of a lush forest that faced the tower.

I crossed my arms on the windowsill and leaned forward, smiling as I took in the beauty—even if it was dulled down. I closed my eyes and breathed in the fragrance of the summer night air. It was refreshing, she normally did not really smell anything at all, or felt or heard anything for that matter. She does not experience anything while around her. It was a blessing and a curse.

Lost in my thoughts, I thought I had imagined a sound. I wanted to hear something, anything. Even if it was just the gentle chirping of a cricket. Strangely, however, the forest was silent tonight. It was if something foreign was creeping within these hallowed woods.

There it was again! I was certain this time that I heard the snap of something stepping on a twig. I scanned the edge of the forest; squinting, trying to force my eyes to adjust to the darkness outside the tower. A dark figure appeared from the brush and gazed up toward her—or, at least, it appeared to. What was that? It looked like…a man? I felt a strange twinge in my heart and a tickle shoot down my spine, my mane suddenly beginning to grow into rich, blonde that reached down to the floor that I was sitting on.

Just as soon as all of this came to be, it was suddenly swallowed by a mist of cool grey. For a moment, I looked around in confusion, but all of that is erased as a voice scolded from behind me, "Rapuzel! What have I told you about wandering out of bed at night? Go to sleep!"

Forgetting about the apparition outside the tower, I nodded to the woman and headed back to my bed. Without my knowing, a single blonde lock remained, brushing against my cheek, as I closed my eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

The morning brought about the same routine: waking up, looking outside, reading, and calligraphy; however, there was one difference. After finishing with calligraphy, I walked down the stairs to see that she was putting on her traveling cloak. Tilting my head, I approached her, not remembering her ever leaving before—but then, how did I know that was her traveling cloak?

"Where are you going?" I asked her.

She let an exasperated sigh and said, "Why do I have to explain this every time? You like food in your stomach and I have to feed you somehow. I'm going out to make some money and get some supplies." Taking another moment, she pointed at me and said, "No funny stuff this time. I don't want to come home to see the floor splattered with paint or dozens of cakes and cookies that we'll never eat; although, we did make quite a bit of money selling them. Anyway, just stay calm this time."

With that, she looped a grappling hook to a perch outside the large window and used it to rappel down the side of the tower. Once down, she was able to yank on it in a specific way to make the hook unhinge from the perch and fall.

I watched her leave and fade away into the cloudy grey. What was she talking about? She has never even left the tower before. I don't remember doing those things. Suddenly beautiful colors, colors I have never seen before, began to bloom around me. Even the tower began to sprout expressive colors and I noticed, as if for the first time, the number of paintings along the walls. I took a minute to admire them, as memories of creating them seem to reform within my mind. Rounding back to the window, I looked up at the large, blue sky and smiled. Then I looked down to the enchanting forest below and the grass that was swaying in the gentle breeze below. As all of this was happening, my hair grew to about my shoulders, blonde highlights appearing.

I shook my head angrily and said, "Every time she's around me, I become her puppet! I know that Mother Gothel is just protecting me. She took me in after my parents abandoned me. They didn't want me because I'm…like this."

Feeling something land on my shoulder, I looked over to see a little chameleon. I smiled as he gave me a nuzzle against my cheek. "Hello to you too, Pastel. It feels like ages since I last saw you!"

Narrowing my eyes a bit, I threw up my hands. "But look at me, Pastel! Sure, it's safe here, but I'm not living my life at all. What does Mother think she's doing by keeping me here until I die?" I looked desperately at my only friend. "I know I'm different and no one might not understand, but living a little is better than not living at all, right?"

Pastel gave me a smile and patted his chest with a claw, as if to say, "Don't worry, I'll protect you!"

I gave a light giggle and patted him on the head. A sound disturbed the gentle moment. It sounded like metal digging into stone. Curiously, I walked back over to the large window and peered down. I shot backward and grabbed Pastel.

Shaking him, I gave a whispered yell, "It's a man! A man! Why is there a man?"

Panicking, I ran into the kitchen and looked around for anything I might use for protection. I saw a pan I was going to use to cook lunch sitting on the bricked counter. Grabbing it, I snuck quietly back into the room and hung back to the side of the window. The man slid into the room nimbly and looked to a satchel that was slung around his shoulder. Fear took over and without any conscious thought, I smacked him over the head with the frying pan. He stood there for a brief second, perhaps wondering what had hit him before he collapsed to the floor. I gave a yelp and dropped the pan on the floor. Quickly, I picked it up again and held it out at the unconscious man. What is he? What does he want? These questions kept repeating themselves in my head.

Curiosity got the better of me, as I knelt in to get a closer look. Pulling his head up with my pan. Being unconscious, he suddenly seemed a lot less threatening than before. He groaned. Once again, without thinking, I clogged him over the head, my eyes squeezed closed. I peeked out with one eye and verified that he was once again knocked out.

It took quite a few minutes, but I managed to get one of the chairs out of the dining room and tie the mysterious man to it using my bed sheets. Lifting the man turned out to be a lot more difficult than I imagined, but I somehow managed to pull it off.

After all that effort, I noticed a satchel on the floor. I remembered that it belonged to the man. I gave a quick look back at him to confirm that he is still unconscious before walking over and scooping it up. I opened it and found a crown inside. It was made out of shining gold, I had never seen gold in person before. Large jewels were set inside of it. The only visible gold was made into thin, elegant bands. I don't know much about the outside world, but I had read a lot of fairy tales. It looks exactly like a princess's crown. Curiously, I walked over to the full-body mirror, trying my best not to look at my reflection. I slid the crown onto my head, the cold gold tickling me. I gave a peek with a single eye and then open both eyes in amazement, transfixed at myself. The crown almost seemed like it was…made for me. My hair began to grow vigorously, transforming from the brown-blonde mix into radiant, golden streams. Just before my hair was about to touch the floor, I threw the crown off in shock, gasping for air. I looked back at my reflection and my hair had reverted back. Picking up the crown, I put it back into the satchel. This man might be bad after all, this crown was definitely not his, but at least this gave me an idea.

After hiding the satchel, I ducked into a dark corner. Even unconscious, the man still frightened me. I gave a little nod to Pastel.

The little chameleon leapt up onto the unconscious man's shoulder and puffed out his chest and furrowed his eyebrows as he gave the man a quick slap. The charming little creature, curled up into a ball in fear, but nothing happened. Growing irritated, he pounded on his cheek. That also failed. Angry, he launched a sticky tongue into the man's ear.

His eyes shot open and he gave a yelp of surprise, shaking his head. This succeeding in knocking Pastel off his shoulder. "W-what? What happened?"

"I know why you're here," I began as I stepped out of the shadows, keeping my frying pan trained on his head.

The man's eyes squinted quizzically into the darkness, trying to make out my face. As I was illuminated by the afternoon sun, his face softened and he got a smirk on his face. "Oh? And what might that be, beautiful?"

"Beautiful?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow, allowing my arm to relax for a moment, lowering the pan slightly. "How condescending!" I yelled back. "Look, if you think I'm just going to let you beat me up—or whatever else you wish to do—without a fight, you have another thing coming!"

He sighed and said, "Look, sweetie, I have no idea what you're talking about. Why would I want to beat you up? It's not like I come across many gorgeous women while romping through the forest. If anything, you're a blessing to see, especially since you're not a guard or an oddly persistent horse."

Lowering the frying pan, I asked, "You mean, you can't tell?" I looked to Pastel, who gave a curious shrug.

"Tell what, exactly?" He asked, trying his best to emphasize with his bound hands.

I brushed a blonde lock of hair away from my face and said, "That I was born male."

He gave a hearty laugh and said, "Oh, man, that was good. I wasn't expecting that. Now, sweetie, how about you just let me go?"

I blinked at him, surprised. He doesn't believe me? "I'm being serious. I am a girl inside a boy's body. I was born male. My mother warned me that people wouldn't understand me, that people would want to hurt me. I have no idea how you found out where I was—"

He threw up his hands, or the best he could, as he exclaimed, "Whoa! Back up! First of all, who am I to judge anyone? I mean, look at me. Second, I don't know who you are. I didn't know anyone other than that enchantress lady was here. The only reason I knew she was because I just happened to catch glimpses of the tower during the day. Otherwise, it appeared like nothing was here. During the night, the barrier seemed weak enough for me to get through."

Remembering last night, I recalled a man stepping through the forest. So it was him?

"I just figured this would be an ideal place to stay for a while until things settle down. I climbed up here to see if I could get a better look at the landscape and, perhaps, catch a nap before she came back. I had no idea anyone else was living here."

I glanced up to the mural above him. It's of the night sky, but instead of stars in the sky, there were drifting lights. They appeared every year on my birthday, I always dreamed of someday seeing them up close. Now that I have an outsider, I could use him to guide me there.

Approaching him, I said, "Okay, I'll make you a deal. I'll let you go, if you guide me to see the lights."

"What lights?" He asked.

With some effort, I turned the chair around, so he could see the mural. "Those lights."

Looking up at the mural, a look or realization dawn on his face. "Oh, you mean the lanterns!" Then he quickly looked back to me and answered simply, "Uh, no. See, the kingdom and I aren't on the best terms right now."

Crossing my arms, I said, "Well, if you want your satchel back, you'll do as I ask."

It seemed to dawn on him and he began frantically looking around for the crown. Then, recovering his composure, he sent her a smile and said, "Okay, honey, I get it. A country girl like you is scared to go outside without a strong man like me. Okay, fine. You have me by the short hairs, I hope you're satisfied. Since we're going to be traveling together, how about telling me your name?"

Still being cautious, I muttered, "Ra-Rapuzel."

"Bless you," He said jokingly, I just stared back at him. Clearing his throat, he said, "I'm Flynn Rider, the infamous rogue—nice to me you." There was a moment of silence and he asked, "So you're really a guy?"

"Don't call me that!" I yelled back and then I shrunk back, blushing with embarrassment. "I mean, physically I am male, but mentally, I'm female. It's hard to explain."


	3. Chapter 3

It took some time to get the dastardly rogue out of his bondage. Apparently, I tie better knots than I thought because I had difficulty getting him free. When I was on the final knot, his right wrist, something occurred to me and I asked myself this question in a whisper, "How long was I out?"

"What was that?" The man asked, already coming up with plans to escape in case I had decided to change my mind at the last second.

After finishing untying the last knot, I asked him, "How long will it be until they show the Lights again?"

He took a moment, thinking, and then answered, "I think it'll be any night now. They do it on the lost princess's birthday, as a signal to show her the way back home."

"Lost princess?" I asked him, piquing my curiosity.

Nodding, he replied while rubbing his chin, "Yeah, a long time ago, the Royals' daughter was kidnapped. The King and Queen still hope that she's alive out there somewhere. Personally, I don't think so."

Turning away a bit, I thought back to the last time I saw the Lights in the sky. It felt like it had only just happened. I rounded on him and pointed up to the mural as I asked, "Do you know how long ago it feels since I painted that? That was the last time I saw the Lights."

He gave the mural a look and guessed, "Um… A year ago?"

"No," I answered quickly, before elaborating, "Well, technically, you're right. It has been a year, but it feels like it only happened a few nights ago to me. That's what Mother does to me."

Curiously, he asked, "Wait, that enchantress is your mother? And she enchants her own daughter?"

I nodded sadly. "To protect me. She enchants the tower and me. She makes it so nothing hurts me, whether it's other people or myself."

"And you want to go behind her back and leave this protective bubble she made for you, just to see those lanterns?" The rogue asked for clarification.

Drooping, I said, "Yeah, I know. I'm pretty horrible." Suddenly, I recovered and pointed up to him. "But I know this is something that I have to do. We need to hurry, to get a decent lead before she comes back." I dropped my arm and walked over to the large window and gestured outside. "I just want to live, even if it's only for a few days. I want to see just a small portion of the world. After I see the Lights, you take me back here and you get your satchel."

Nodding, he gave a light shrug as he said, "Yeah, what's the worst thing that could happen—aside from being enchanted into thinking I'm a frog for the rest of my life."

I gave an innocent smile and said, "Let's try to think positively."

"On the note of leaving," Flynn said, holding up a finger and then directing it to the large window. "If this was a matter of myself, it wouldn't be a problem, but you, on the other hand." He looks me up and down, noticing my petite figure and small limbs. He seems to get stuck for a second on my legs, which he seemed to noticed were shaved. "You… You don't appear to be in the right shape for climbing, so we'll need to figure out a way to get you down."

Nodding, I said, "Mother usually uses a grappling hook to get up and down."

"So I noticed," He said and then started looking at the floor. "However, this is probably a repurposed watch tower. If that's the case, there's probably a way down up here. They usually disguise one of the floor's stones or camouflage a door. It's to keep the guard safe as he alarms the next tower—at least that's the idea. It sometimes only just slows them down until they find the way up."

"Well, I suppose if you put something on top of the way in…" I thought out loud.

I watched as the thief made his way around the room, knocking on the floor tiles. "In order to make the exit viable, they need to make the tile lighter than the usual ones for construction. It makes a different kind of—" Before he can finish, a stone tile toward the outside of the middle of the room makes a definite different sound when he knocks on it.

Hurrying, I ran over and helped Flynn pull the tile up. Despite it being lighter than the usual stone, it was still pretty heavy to pull up. A soldier probably would not have much trouble with it, though. Peeking down, they saw a dark passage with a narrow staircase leading down.

Pulling up his sleeves, Flynn began to say, "Well, it's dark, so I suppose I should—"

Before he could finish, though, he was once again interrupted. I jumped down into the passage and began running down the stairs.

"Whoa! Wait up, princess!" He called after me and I heard him drop down somewhere above me.

After a few seconds, I heard his clambering steps begin to approach mine. I had never ran like this before, it was exhilarating! We reached the bottom far faster than we should have, considering it was nearly pitch dark.

"You…are a little crazy," Flynn said, panting behind me. After a second or two, he appeared to have caught his breath as he added, "For some reason, I like that."

I squinted in the dark and asked, "There should be a way out, right? Why can't I see it?"

"That is strange," Flynn agreed. "I guess your mother may have sealed it off, to keep anyone from scaling the tower."

I could not see completely, but I heard him shuffling around and his hands traveling the walls. I thought that he was trying to feel for the exit. My assumption was verified after a few minutes when he exclaimed, "Yeah, I found it. This is definitely wood…and that's definitely a handle." He paused for a moment and said, "This is strange."

"What?" I asked, groping for him.

"Well, if your mother was protecting you, I was expecting to find something in front of the door. There's nothing here, though. Nothing to stop someone from the outside from getting in. If there's something on the other side of the door, that would suggest, it's designed to keep…you in."

I found him, my hands pressed against his back. My heart began to beat a little faster, I swallowed hard, trying to push it out of my mind. "Well, let's just try to open the door and see what happens."

I sensed a silent nod from the rogue, who given from the sound of metal and wood giving stress, was trying to push the door open. "No, there's something definitely blocking the way. It won't budge."

A sense of desperation filled me and without warning, I rushed toward the door, slamming against it. I could hear Flynn curse under his breath; however, I heard the muffled sound of a rock falling to the ground.

"Well, apparently, you aren't completely useless," Flynn admitted. "But it's going to take someone who's a little stronger to break down that blockade."

Stepping aside, I let him know that it was clear and then he charged the door, slamming his shoulder into the door. This time, there was the sound of quite a few rocks toppling down. "You know, I was expecting more resistance than this. Whoever built this blockage wasn't factoring in someone who was physically strong from the inside."

After a few more attempts, he managed to push the door open, with a little help from me. The light stung our eyes, after what seemed like hours of being in the dark. We managed to slide through the crack in the door and examine the rubble of stonework outside. Flynn crouched down and picked up a few.

"These aren't the same stones that were used to make this tower. The tower looks like it's more than just a few decades old, but this work was done maybe only a little over a decade ago. It also appears to have been done by a rank amateur." Flynn said and then stood up, dropping the stones.

"But why…?" I asked, looking down at the stones. "She told me she was protecting me."

Flynn puts his arms out and then touching my arm. "Well, she may have been. These stones probably covered the door to camouflage it."

"But why only the outside? There was nothing on the inside to prevent someone from getting in." I asked him, knowing he did not have an answer.

He obviously did not know what to say.

What did it matter? Mother was not a strategist. It's probably exactly as Flynn said, she thought that she was protecting me. I nodded and said, "I'm just over-thinking."

Once that crisis was resolved in my mind, I finally took time to realize my surroundings. Smiling, I looked down to my bare feet, feeling the lush grass beneath my feet. I closed my eyes and breathed in the air. I ran out in front of the tower and twirled with glee, my hair growing a little bit more, some more of the brown stands bursting into gold. I felt my hair brushing against my back and smiled.

The rogue walked up to me and then asked, "Did…your hair just grow a few inches in the last minute?"

Looking at him, I smiled as I said, "Yeah, it does that sometimes. It seems to be linked to my mood—or maybe my mother's magic—I'm not sure. It's almost like, the better I feel, the longer it grows—maybe."

He laughed nervously and said, "Well, how about that. You're full of surprises." He seemed to be realizing that he may be in a lot more trouble than he first realized. Enchantresses? Boys who are bursting with feminine beauty? Now, freaky growing hair? This was more than an average person could take in a single day—and it was not even mid-afternoon!

I guess I was lucky today, though, because not only did he not freak out yet, but he also stuck by my side.

Clearing his throat, Flynn said, "Well, that took a lot more energy than I was expecting, but we should get moving." He wanted to put as much distance between him and this tower as he could. The thought of coming back here later was clearly beginning to frighten him a bit.

As the two of us began walking away, into the unknown forest, I took a moment to look back at the tower. Even though it was a place of bleakness, it was the only home that I have ever known. Now that I'm out here, in the world, the thought of coming back also frightened me, but on a much bigger scale than Flynn. I never wanted to see this place again, but I couldn't tell him that. I needed a guide to get to the kingdom. I was not sure what I would do after that just yet, but anywhere was better than here.


	4. Chapter 4

I had a plan and it was _brilliant _in its simplicity: go see the Lights and get back before Mother came home. As Flynn had said: what could go wrong? Well, how about deciding that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to go back and not telling my thief of a guide about this decision. Well, if I told him, he would take off back to the tower to desperately attempt to find the crown before my mother came back.

Maybe I was being too hasty, I thought. I mean, Mother has never done anything but try to protect me, why would I betray her by running away? A lot of what she said made sense. The world was not kind to those who are different, especially those who are really different like me. Who has ever heard of a girl being born in a boy's body before? Probably no one! I'm incredibly lucky that Flynn is as open-minded as he is. In fact, that is the one thing that made him stand out. Granted, it was not like I have met any other men before, but there was something…special about him.

After spending the rest of the afternoon frolicking, jumping, and exploring the forest—to the annoyance of my traveling companion—we managed to find a quiet place to rest for the night by a river. It was an uneventful trip this far, but Flynn kept looking around him cautious. It was like he was expecting someone to jump out at him at any second. When we met a traveling merchant on the road, the sound of horse shoes made him dive into a bush.

"Look," The man in question spoke to me from across the campfire, his body boldly illuminated by the fire as darkness shrouds him, "we can't afford to waste any more time on your prancing around, okay? I know this is like a field trip to you or something, but this is serious for me. You're blackmailing me here!"

I gasped and said, "Don't say it like that. It sounds so mean!"

"It is mean!" He exclaimed. He covered his mouth for a second, listening. Satisfied, he whispered back, "Listen to me, we need to do this thing as quickly as possible, so I get my satchel back and I don't end up a frog—got that?"

Standing up, I walked over to his side of the fire and sat next to him. I looked up at him with my big, green eyes and said, "Look, I don't mean for this to be an unpleasant trip. Think of it as one last hurrah to the kingdom before you go on your—whatever it is you're doing…"

He threw a stick into the area, and snatched it in mid-twirl. "You know, you almost had me for a second."

I thought for a minute and then looked back at him and asked, "Well, what do you want to do with that crown?"

Opening his mouth, he looked like he was about to say something, but then he shook his head, chuckling to himself. "No, I don't feel much like bearing my soul to some wide-eyed country girl."

"Oh, come on!" I said, laying back in frustration. I opened my eyes and caught him looking at me. Sitting back up, I asked, "What is it?"

He shook a hand at me and said, "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

Cocking my eyebrow, I scooted closer and said, "Come on, you can tell me. I'm just a country girl, who am I going to tell?"

"That's kind of it," Flynn said, tossing the stick into the fire. "It's just…well…you're pretty attractive—I'm not going to deny it. It's hard to believe that you're…you know…male."

I frowned and said quietly, "I know what you mean. I'm just as confused as you are—if not more. I don't know why I'm like this. I wish every day that I could just be a normal boy or girl, but each day…I'm not. I can't help it. It's just who I am."

The two of us sat in silence for a while, before he suddenly broke it, "I don't know."

"What?" I asked, blinking in surprise.

He looked me in the eye and said, "I don't know what I want to do!" He looked into my eyes and he must have read that I didn't understand because he elaborated, "You see, when I was growing up in the orphanage, I had very little. But there was this book called _The Adventures of Flynn Rider_, he was my hero." Springing to his feet, he mimed a swordfight as he continued, "He was a brave adventurer. He took what he wanted and went where he wanted." Sighing, he sat back down. "To a kid who had nothing, he was amazing."

I smiled at him and asked, "Not that I mind, but why are you telling me this?"

Smiling back, he answered, "Well, I guess when I look into those dopey eyes of yours, I can't help but be honest." He then poked my forehead playfully.

"Hey!" I gave him a slight shove.

The two of us shared in laughter and then I looked up at him once again. "What's your_ real_ name?"

You know, you're much smarter than you look."

Smirking, I said, "I'm serious."

"So am I." He retorted.

"Look, the character's name was Flynn Rider. You two having the same name is a bit of a stretch." I deduced.

Pointing at him, he said, "Again, smarter than you look." He threw up his hands. "Okay, you caught me. Flynn Rider is like a stage name—except my stages are palaces, vaults, and nobles' pockets." He flashed a smile, winking at me.

I blushed, but then punched his shoulder. "You're not getting off that easy. Spill it."

He heaved a sigh and then continued, "You have to promise never to tell anyone!"

"I promise, I promise!" I said, excitedly hopping up into an attentive position.

Wincing, he said, "Eugene Fitzherbert."

"Eugene?" I echoed, feeling my heart flutter as I said his name.

"No, please, you—"

Smiling at him, I said, "I like it a lot." Unknowingly, my hair growing long enough to start to swirl around on the ground.

I noticed his cheeks turn a little pink as he said, "Well, you'd be the first."

Feeling something jump onto my shoulder, I looked down to see Pastel. He pointed two fingers at his eyes and then one at the rogue.

Eugene, as I was now refer to him as, threw up his arms in surrender. "Hey, I don't know what you think is going on here, but it's just a conversation between friends."

"Friends?" I once again echoed his words. Something inside my chest suddenly felt like a shard of glass was sticking in it. "Oh, right… Right! Friends, duh! What else would we be?" I giggled to myself and then slid away from him. My hair shrinking back to shoulder-length and returning to its messy blonde color. "I mean, we only met today. It would be silly to think—well…you know." Turning away, I laid down on the ground and continued, "Besides, you probably only think of me as a…guy, right?" I shuddered as I muttered that question. "R-right… Good night."

Since my back was turned to him, I was not sure what he was doing. For a while, I could feel his eyes on me. I could have swore I even sensed his hand once or twice attempt to reach out to me. In the end, though, I heard him lay down. Tightly, I closed my eyes, wondering how big of a fool I had  
made out of myself.

* * *

The next morning, things had not improved between us. Every time we looked at each other, we immediately looked away from each other. The silence was unbearable. Being so close to him, but not knowing what to say made my chest feel tight and painful. What was wrong with me?

Finally, I worked up the courage and said, "Look, I…" To my surprise, he tried to talk at the same time, but I did not make out what he had said. "What was that?"

He gave a sigh and said, "I don't—"

Some rustling in the bushes cut him off as two huge men appeared, brandishing swords. The two were identical, except that one man had a patch over his eye and the other had mutton chops. My eyes widened in fear and I got close to Eugene, who gently pushed me behind him.

Flashing his patented smile, he opened his arms and said, "Guys! I'm glad to see that you're safe—man, you had me worried, you know."

"You know these brutes?" I whispered behind him.

Out of the corner of his mouth, he replied, "Not now."

"You're not talkin' yer way out of this one, Rider!" The one with the eye patch croaked as he approached.

The other snaked around behind. "You stole our cut, now it's time fer you to pay back what's ours!"

Eugene back up into me, putting one of his hands on my leg. I blushed furiously, my hair suddenly bursting into golden locks.

"Or…Plan B!" He announced with a finger, as he suddenly scooped me up into his arms and jumped down a steep hill. He landed on a tree that was growing out of the cliff-side and leapt from one object—a tree or boulder, sometimes just barely keeping his balance—making his way down as quickly as possible, trying not to look back.

"You're crazy!" I screamed at him.

Smirking, he replied, "You know you love it!"

His confidence faded with the last jump, however, as he realized too late that he overshot it. He managed to scrape his heel against a large boulder, but he was going over. Reacting as quickly as he could, Eugene let go of me with one hand to catch himself. The other quickly grabbed my hand. There we were, handing by the grip of his left hand. His eyes shot up to his hand and then back down at me. He may have been realizing that he did not have enough strength to pull up the both of us.

I looked down and realized finally how high we were. We were on the edge of a ravine and it still went down quite a while. Closing my eyes, I smiled. At least, I got to live a little. Looking back up at him, I yelled, "It's okay, Eugene! Let me go. There's no reason for a freak like me to live, anyway."

"What? Why would I do that? I'm not going to let you go." He yelled back at me, desperately trying to pull us up.

"If you're worried about your satchel, it's hidden under the staircase! If you're fast enough, you might still beat my mother home and get it!" I yelled up at him.

He shot a glare down at me and yelled, "Stop talking like that! You're not a freak! You're a beautiful young girl with her whole life ahead of her! You're going to make it out of this, just like I am!"

Despite the desperate situation, his words made my heart beat even harder. My eyes brightened into a rich emerald and my hair grew out to be longer than it has ever been. Looking down, my eyes widened with surprise. Is that some kind of world record? My hair is ridiculously long!

This did not escape the notice of my male companion. He blinked and then yelled, "Quick! Throw me your hair! We can use it as a rope!"

Not wasting any time, I obeyed and tossed my hair up to him. He twirled it and then through it at a nearby branch. Somehow, it managed to loop upon itself. Lifting me up with all his might, he let go of the boulder and we swung across the ravine and made it, despite all odds to the other side. He managed to loosen my hair from the branch and it fell down my back and laid on the ground.

The two of us just stood there for a few minutes, dumbfounded, trying to process what just happened. I was the first to break the silence. I cried out a cheer and jumped up and down. He snapped out of his trance and joined in. We were both surprised to be alive.


End file.
